FOUR fishermen have spent a night sheltering in mangrove trees in a crocodile-infested area in northern Western Australia.
WA Today reports the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Rescue Coordination Centre scrambled into action over the weekend, after receiving a signal from an EPIRB.
The unregistered beacon was first activated around 8pm on Sunday and a subsequent signal placed them around 18 nautical miles north of Derby.
After it was established the four men were overdue after going fishing in a small boat earlier in the day, severe weather in the area and the impending darkness made it impossible for aircraft or vessels to set off.
Authorities say that if the emergency beacon had been registered, it would have allowed the rescue centre to contact next of kin and develop a search area even without a location from the beacon.
